Wings

An Old Threat

Ehhh, I really didn't like that sorcerer guy. And Lo really has a tendency to go for the dramatic, doesn't she? That's a Fire Wing for you! But to be honest, I wish I had the ability to be both witty and strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. Most women aren't capable of both, since it's hard enough for anyone to take us seriously even when we're terrifying. Sorry, I gave you another lecture, but it seems I can't help it. Oh, well.

- Felicity

***

Orvin regarded the both of us with a thoughtful expression as he sat on his throne, his wings fully extended and taking on a grayish cast in the dim lighting. "This is not good news," he said finally. "I thought we destroyed Surtan."

"Well, he's back," I informed him with a sigh. "And he's really pissed. He says he's going to rip the wings off of every Wing who fought against him at Ragnarok and I don't doubt that he has the resources to do it."

"Where did you get this information?" Orvin asked me.

"From a troll," I replied. "He's a pretty reliable source, especially since I was the one who did the talking."

Orvin snorted. "Of course." He was probably remembering all the countless times I had wheedled something out of him with words alone. Fire Wings had a natural gift for persuasiveness and I honed my talent to the maximum. Obviously, there were still some things I couldn't persuade people to give up or to tell me, but most things I could. Bribery helped, too.

"I killed a monster," Thom offered, sensing that his Dad was in distress.

Orvin looked at Thom with an approving expression on his face. "Well, at least there's some good news," he said.

I shrugged helplessly. "Haven't you heard the saying 'don't shoot the messenger', Orvin? I might be the bringer of bad tidings, but you have to admit that without my services, you would be left in the dark."

"Perhaps you haven't heard the saying 'ignorance is bliss'," Orvin shot back lightly with a guffaw. I chuckled as well. Playing these word games was fun.

"How about 'knowledge is power'?" I said slyly. "Is not power the one thing we try to keep no matter what?"

Orvin sat back, a slight grin on his face. "You win this round, Loki," he said. "And by the way, it's nice to see you in your Trueform again. Brings back memories of old times."

Old times and kind of sucky times at that. When I first arrived at Althea, I quickly learned how to shape-change into a male version of myself. Orvin had been as surprised as I was, but I didn't learn how to change back until much later. By that time, everyone knew who and what I was, so they weren't nearly as friendly to me as they had been before they knew. It was especially bad because my Trueform was female and they were used to seeing me in a male form. They got over it during the intermittent centuries, however.

In the meantime, I just smiled at Orvin. "Glad to hear that. Am I dismissed?"

Orvin dipped his head once, signaling the affirmative. I then skipped off to my room, shape-changing as I went back to my male form because I felt like it. Once I got to my room, I was going to spread my wings and finish molting.